Our teeth are exposed to constant use. We use them for a lot more than just eating; we open, bite and even hold with them. Even if we are particularly careful, we can still injure or even break our teeth, just like any other bones in our body.

This article will answer the following questions:

What can break our tooth?

What kind of problems can a broken tooth cause?

How can the broken tooth be treated?

How can we prevent chipping or breaking our teeth?

What can break our tooth?

A broken tooth does not belong to the most common accidents, but it can happen and it may cause massive pain. A tooth can break off for many reasons.

One reason can be the weakening of dentinal walls due to caries. This may happen more frequently in the case of endodontically treated teeth, as they no longer have blood supply. In this case, the tooth becomes brittle and is exposed to the risk of breaking when we bite too strongly

Another common reason is when the filling is not smooth enough, or is too high, so biting puts extra pressure on the teeth. This pressure may result in the tooth cracking and eventually breaking off.

There are also cases when an unnatural position of the bite puts too much pressure on particular teeth.

Daytime clenching or nighttime teeth grinding cannot be âturned offâ as we are not aware of it while sleeping. It can result in further fracturing and loss of teeth.

The fifth common reason is when a part of the tooth breaks off as a result of an accident, because it cannot withstand the pressure weighing on it, or the hit it takes. In the case of injured teeth we have to proceed even more thoroughly and carefully. The surroundings of the tooth, the adjacent teeth, and the jaw joints have to be examined as well, but the best practise is to examine the entire set of teeth.

What kind of problems can a broken tooth cause?

A sharp, broken tooth in the mouth can cause trauma, scars on the tongue, and even on the mucous membrane. The tongue can get continuously scratched which is painful and cannot heal. This can easily result in scars, inflammations, or lumps

The broken tooth can not only be a threat in the mouth, but the break on the occlusal surface affects chewing, thus the digestion as well. Depending on where and how large an area is affected by the broken tooth, it can be sensitive and painful.

The missing, broken tooth can cause the teeth to move. The teeth below or above the gap, will start to move in to close the space, to ensure that the bite is once again perfect. Naturally, the broken tooth should be treated, the right measurements taken as soon as possible.

How can the broken tooth be treated?

Some hints to quickly help the pain:

From the outside, place a cold towel or sac-filled with salt- on the painful area.

Painkillers-in case the pain becomes unbearable

If the tooth is bleeding, place gauze or tissues onto it and press until the bleeding stops (just like on cuts on the skin)-never apply pressure by biting down on it!

During meals, bite on the area that is not painful, thus lowering the pressure on the broken tooth.

Never attempt to fix your broken tooth by yourself!

Once we did everything in order to mitigate the pain and nothing has proven useful, we should visit a dentist:

First, we have to examine the cause and severity of the fracture. After this, a panoramic dental x-ray image has to be made, and we also have to examine whether inflammation has occurred at the roots.

Following the examinations, we make a dental treatment plan and consult with the patient. We choose from the available treatment methods together with the patient, and then we begin healing the teeth or replacing missing ones.

If the fracture is caused by a cavity which has reached the tooth nerves, a root canal treatment will be necessary. The treated tooth will be monitored for a period of 3 months after which the onlay will be placed on it.

If the fracture is minor and is caused by a malocclusion, we can fill it out with tooth-colored, aesthetic organic filling material and recommend our patient to consult with our orthodontist specialist. By correcting malpositioned teeth, further chips may be prevented.

We also recommend consulting with the orthodontist specialist if the fracture happened because the patient has grinded their teeth or put pressure on them. Fractures and cracks caused by grinding teeth or pressures can be eliminated by wearing plastic mouth guards. Malocclusion recovery might be a prolonged process, and in some cases, wearing fixed braces may be recommended.

How can we prevent chipping or breaking our teeth?

Visit your dentist for a routine check-up every half-year so that we can detect any possible issues. Teeth will not break if we notice in time that they have cavities, or they might not fit properly into the dental arch or the patient might grind their teeth excessively (bruxism). We should wear rubber mouth guards when pursuing activities during which hits or strong physical impact may affect our teeth. By using such mouth guards, our teeth will always stay far from each other, safely seated in the rubber and still fixed to one another, thus being protected from any sudden shifting effects caused by hits.

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